Shropshire Christmas Gift Appeal: Everybody needs good neighbours
For some people, even getting out of the house can be a problem.
Simple tasks, like picking up pensions or heading down to the shops might not be possible, and that's where the North Shrewsbury Friendly Neighbours group comes in.
The charity, based in the Castlefields area of Shrewsbury, is one of 11 good causes which will benefit from this year's Shropshire Star and Storage King Christmas Gift Appeal.
New gifts for both the young and the elderly can be dropped off at collection points at the Shropshire Star head office at Ketley Business Park, Waterloo Road, Telford, or at Storage King in Archers Way, Battlefield Enterprise Park Storage. Both locations have ample parking.
There are further collection points at the Shropshire Star office in Bellstone, Shrewsbury, and at the Southwater One building in Telford town centre.
North Shrewsbury Friendly Neighbours was originally set up in 2002 as a joint project with Citizens Advice Shropshire, supported with funding from the Home Office.
Over the first three years, the scheme offered a valuable and much-needed service to the more vulnerable and older members of the community of north Shrewsbury.
When the funding ran out after three years, co-ordinator Julie Thomas and her team of volunteers decide to continue as an independent charity, and last year celebrated its 10th anniversary.
Friendly Neighbours helps with transport, shopping, errands and collecting prescriptions or pensions for elderly members of the community. It also offers a befriending service, help with filling out forms, and also provides support for parents and carers.
"We serve the communities of Battlefield, Belvidere, Castlefields, Coton Hill, Ditherington, Greenfields, Harlescott, Heath Farm, Monkmoor, Underdale Mount Pleasant, Sundorne, and Telford Estate," says Julie. "We help with dog walking, pointing people in the direction of other organisations, and much more."
On Thursday, the charity holds its main fundraising event of the year at Castlefields Community Centre, starting at 10.30am.
"The event is usually well attended, with the mayor in attendance and the children from Martin Wilson School," she says.
"The children sing Christmas carols to the audience, and all receive a present from Santa."
The charity runs a small shop in the Riverside Shopping Centre, near Wilkinsons, and is always grateful for unwanted items such as clothes, bric-a-brac, toys or kitchenware.
As well as North Shrewsbury Friendly Neighbours, this year's Christmas Gift Appeal will support 10 other charities.
The appeal aims to bring a smile to the faces of people young and old who might otherwise find Christmas a difficult time of year. We are asking readers to donate toys, games and DVDs which will be distributed among children's charities, as well as gifts such as chocolates, toiletries, biscuits and jigsaw puzzles for older people.
